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Sara felt a little awkward. "I think he engaged her," she said, "because he—he thought I would like her, Miss Minchin."
萨拉感到有点儿局促不安。“我想爸爸雇用她是因为——”她说，“因为他——他认为我会喜欢她，铭钦女士。”
"I am afraid," said Miss Minchin, with a slightly sour smile,
“我看恐怕是——”铭钦女士稍微带着不快，微笑地说，
"that you have been a very spoiled little girl and always imagine that things are done because you like them.
“恐怕你是个大大地被宠坏的小姑娘，总是想象是因为你喜欢人家才那样做事情的。
My impression is that your papa wished you to learn French."
我的印象是你爸爸希望你学习法语。”
If Sara had been older or less punctilious about being quite polite to people, she could have explained herself in a very few words.
如果萨拉年龄稍大一些，或者不太拘泥于待人有礼貌的话，她原是能用很少几句话就为自己解释清楚的。
But, as it was, she felt a flush rising on her cheeks. Miss Minchin was a very severe and imposing person,
可是，幼小拘礼的她感到一阵羞红涌上双颊。铭钦女士是个十分严厉、盛气凌人的人，
and she seemed so absolutely sure that Sara knew nothing whatever of French that she felt as if it would be almost rude to correct her.
她似乎绝对肯定萨拉对法语一无所知，于是觉得若去纠正萨拉就显得笨拙了。
The truth was that Sara could not remember the time when she had not seemed to know French.
实际情况是萨拉已记不清楚自己早在什么时候就懂法语了。
Her father had often spoken it to her when she had been a baby. Her mother had been a French woman,
当她还是婴儿时，父亲就常对她讲法语。她母亲是法国人，
and Captain Crewe had loved her language, so it happened that Sara had always heard and been familiar with it.
而克鲁上尉喜爱她的语言，所以萨拉能经常听到法语并熟悉它。
"I—I have never really learned French, but—but—" she began, trying shyly to make herself clear.
“我——我从来没有真正学过法语，但是——但是——”她开始羞涩地试图为自己辩白。
One of Miss Minchin's chief secret annoyances was that she did not speak French herself,and was desirous of concealing the irritating fact.
铭钦女士有些不愿告人的烦恼，其中最主要的就是她本人不会说法语，她想隐瞒这个令人恼火的实情。
She, therefore, had no intention of discussing the matter and laying herself open to innocent questioning by a new little pupil.
所以她无意谈论此事，以免在这新来的小学生的幼稚无端的询问中暴露自己。
"That is enough," she said with polite tartness. "If you have not learned, you must begin at once.
“够了，别说了！”她说，礼貌而又尖刻。“如果你没有学过法语，你必须立即开始学。
The French master, Monsieur Dufarge, will be here in a few minutes. Take this book and look at it until he arrives."
法语教师杜法奇先生几分钟后就要来。拿上这本书，在他来到以前先看起来。”
Sara's cheeks felt warm. She went back to her seat and opened the book. She looked at the first page with a grave face.
萨拉感到双颊发热。她回到座位上，打开那本书，面带愁容地看着第一页。
She knew it would be rude to smile, and she was very determined not to be rude.
她知道面带笑容是失礼的，她决计不做失礼的事。
